Working Annotations Phelps, C. (2003). Genealogy: A theme issue. Louisiana Libraries,65(3), 3-19.
This is a themed issue of Louisiana Libraries - there are 4 articles about genealogy. Help yourselves! Here's the issue:
From the above issue: Stahr, B. (2003). Preparing to Work with Genealogists: Educational and Service Opportunities. Louisiana Libraries, 65(3), 5-8 (Becky annotated; in completed annotations section) Phelps, C.L. (2003). Using the Internet for Genealogical Research. Lousiana Libraries, 65(3), 9-12. (Susan annotated; in completed annotations section)
Sleeter, C.(2008) Critical Family History, Identity, and Historical Memory. Educational Studies (American Educational Studies Association), 43(2), 114-124.
Abstract:The writer discusses critical family history, identity, and historical memory. She describes a process that she employed to
research
family history and in doing so discusses critical life history, European-American identities, and the claiming of historical memory. She then discusses implications for social foundations courses offered to teacher education students.
Lambert, R. D. (1996). The family historian and temporal orientations towards the ancestral past. Time and Society, 5(2), 115-143. Abstract: In a society preoccupied with the future, genealogists or family historians devote a great deal of effort to constructing family ancestry on paper and in the mind, and situating the ancestral family in its historic time and place. This study explores the temporal orientations, and the content of these orientations, which genealogists bring to this activity. Findings are reported from a 1994 mail survey of 1348 members of a Canadian genealogical society. In addition, this paper examines the relationship between historical time and autobiographical time, and the impact of the family historian role on personal identity and family culture.
Fulton, C. (2005). Finding pleasure in information seeking: Leisure and amateur genealogists exploring their irish ancestry. Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology,42(1)
Abstract: Genealogy may be characterized as serious leisure, that is an amateur or voluntary activity in which the hobby forms a central life interest, with participants actively acquiring and expressing special skills, knowledge and experience (Stebbins, 1996; 1997). Information skills development and information exchange are key features of genealogy. Amateur genealogists are very often older adults who have time to devote themselves to learning information and technical skills needed to navigate the complex maze of resources that support this activity. This paper explores the information seeking behaviour of amateur genealogists in their leisure. Amateur genealogists from around the world participated in telephone interviews about their hunt for their Irish ancestors. Data were analyzed to identify patterns of communication and links between and among amateur genealogists, groups, and resources. Findings reveal that amateur genealogists are a unique group of information seekers, who devote their spare time to information seeking and sharing among like-minded researchers. Findings suggest that leisure time is an important information seeking context, in which people relate information seeking with pleasure, as opposed to a work-related or routine life information need.
Null, D.G. (1985) Genealogy and Family History in the Academic Library. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 11(1), 29-34.
(if anyone wants to see this I can email it to you - Becky)
Jacobson, P.R. (1981) "The World Turned Upside Down": Reference Priorities and the State Archives. The American Archivist, 44(4), 341-345.
(if anyone wants to see this I can email it to you - Becky)
Can't find but might be interesting: Ann D. Gordon, Using the Nation’s Documentary Heritage: The Report of theHistorical Documents Study (Washington, D.C.: National Historical Publications and RecordsCommission, 1992).
Completed Annotations Barth, C.D. (1997). “Archivists, Genealogists, Access, and Automation: Past and Present Trends in Archival Access Technologies and Their Implications for the Future of Genealogical Research in Archives.” http://web.archive.org/web/20040309081513/http://www.arcticwind.com/cdb/writings/archives1.shtml (Genevieve)
Genevieve: Shockingly, this article that can only be found on the internet web archive is out of date. It does analyze the use of automation by genealogists and archivists, specifically talking about hardware, software and online, and also touches on attitudes of genealogists towards the archive (and archivists towards genealogists). There were 50 genealogist respondents to the survey (who were given the survey at a genealogy conference in the midwest) and 12 archivist respondents (who were given the survey through a regional archival professional organization). While the article had moments of interest, it probably isn't too relevant to what we are looking at. But, it did have a sample survey in the appendix: http://web.archive.org/web/20030823050136/www.arcticwind.com/cdb/writings/archives2.shtml. Bishop, R. (2005).“The Essential Force of the Clan”: Developing a Collecting-Inspired Ideology of Genealogy through Textual Analysis.Journal of Popular Culture, 38(6), 990-1010. Abstract: A study was conducted to investigate the popularity of genealogical research and to explore the cultural meaning of genealogy. Data were obtained from a textual analysis of 42 newspaper and magazine articles and 4 broadcast news transcripts on genealogy from 2001–2002. Findings indicated that, at its most fundamental level, genealogical research is self-exploration, an attempt to redefine oneself. This assertion supported by the work of reporters.
Andrea: This article tries to explain the popularity and culture of genealogy. The advent of genealogical research increased as the United States became more patriotic and served as a means for Americans to take pride in their family history. The stories of one’s family history is often done in a theatrical, hyperbolic fashion as to inspire, and ultimately let the individual start to “become” whoever they are going to be. The internet has had a significant role in genealogy and has eased the process considerably. This paper also describes the passion and, often times, obsession that genealogists feel for their research.
Boyns, R. (1999). Archivists and family historians: Local authority record repositories and the family history user group. Journal of the Society of Archivists, 20(1), 61-74.
Becky: This article focuses specifically on the context of record repositories (archives) in the UK. The author notes the trend of increasing use of these repositories by family historians, and the gap in research regarding the family historian user group. A questionnaire was sent out to 125 repositories to address such questions as how large the family historian user group is, what services the repositories provide to these users, and what do archivists think of this group. Results included the information that family historians are the majority of users at most repositories, nearly all do provide some services to them, and most archivists value this user group for raising the profile of repositories. This article is useful for its focus on the archive context, but is limited because the study shows only the perspective of archivists who work with family historians, not family historians themselves. It is also a bit dated.Duff, W. M., & Johnson, C. A. (2003). Where is the list with all the names? information-seeking behavior of genealogists. American Archivist,66(1), 79-95.
Abstract: Until the 1990s, archivists gave very little attention to studying their user population. None of the user studies that have been conducted in the last decade have focused solely on genealogists, one of the most frequent users of archives. This paper gives the results of a study involving in-depth interviews with ten genealogists. The findings provide information on the stages of genealogical research, how genealogists search for information, the access tools they use, the knowledge required, and the barriers they face. The findings of this study can be used to improve the design of archival information systems that will facilitate access for this important group of users.
Genevieve: This article focuses on the search process and tools used by professional genealogists in their search for people. It specifies the importance of names, geographic location and dates in the genealogist's search, as well as historical context. In discussing the tools that genealogists use, it is clear that they are their own information specialists. They utilize online resources, as well as sources often found in archives. Due to the configuration of most archives (in that they are organized for historians/archivists, not genealogists or people-seekers), genealogists tend to have their own systems for record retrievals, and often use each other as information sources. While the study's interview with 10 genealogists tends to limit the ability to generalize genealogists, it does seem as though there is an entirely different search process than the typical researcher, one that is more of a learned behavior. This article seems like it will be quite useful for this study, and it seemed to have some potentially useful references listed in it, as well. Joslam, B. M., & Frazier, R. (2008). Who am I? Where did I come from? Where do I go to find out? Genealogy, the Internet, and tourism. Tourismos: An International Multidisciplinary Journal of Tourism, 3(2), 35-56.
James: This study of genealogists has more of a tourist slant, surveying genealogists to see how often they travel during their information gathering. The study claims that due to increased Internet use, genealogists are more able to make travel arrangements to sites of ancestral significance or to other genealogical collections. Also of interest is a top ten list of the most popular websites as reported by the surveyed genealogists. In comparison to Yakel and Torres’s study, Joslam and Frazier used an online survey to gather their data, so we can discuss the benefits and challenges associated with both of these methods in our literature review.
Latham, B.M. (2003). The Genealogist and the Library: An Interesting Partnership. The AlabamaLibrarian, 53(1), 12-16. Themes: Librarian-Genealogist Relations, Amateur Genealogists, History, Terminology
Abstract: Genealogy is one of the most popular and fastest growing hobbies among Americans today. Experts give several reasons for this surge of interest in family history, among them Alex Haley’s Roots and the easy access to genealogical information provided by the Internet. Ethnic groups especially have begun to delve into their heritage. In an attempt to better serve their patrons’ needs, libraries have developed genealogical collections that range from small to extensive. Librarians are also beginning to adopt the Internet as an addition to the genealogical materials they have in print. The Internet provides a wealth of genealogical information, from passenger lists of the immigrants who came through Ellis Island to millions of vital records compiled by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. As the interest in genealogy continues to grow, librarians will continue to develop and add to their genealogy collections in order to meet the demands of patrons seeking to discover their family history.
Susan: In this article, the author describes the notoriety amateur genealogists have gained with librarians for being knowledgeable and engaging yet maddeningly exasperating. Just as they can demand a librarian’s attention as they describe at length family connections, they can also be formidable and vocal opponents when their collections are weeded. This article contains a thumbnail sketch of the history of genealogy - in this country collections started in response to centennial patriotic fervor in 1876. More recently, a survey published in 2000 stated that approximately 60 percent of Americans were currently engaged in researching their family heritage and history (World Almanac & Book of Facts, 2001, Richard Hantula). She praises an annotated bibliography by Judith P. Reid (“Branching Out into Genealogy,” Library Journal, 1992, 51-55) with suggested book sources for building a genealogical collection. She also states that the Assoc. of Professional Genealogists requires only dues for membership, but names an organization that requires accreditation, the Accredited Genealogists, and writes that there is a “Board Certification for Genealogists.” Because genealogists need to travel to access some sources of information, they need the hours of operation for genealogy collections, which may differ from those of the housing library. I think it would follow from the time constraints of their travel that libraries need to help them make the best use of their time. McKay, A. C. (2002). Genealogists and records: Preservation, advocacy, and politics. Archival Issues, 27(1), 23-33. Retrieved from Library Literature.
James: This article illustrates the nearly symbiotic relationship between archivists and genealogists. The author argues that this is a relationship that should be cultivated in order for both parties to benefit. If archivists forge bonds with genealogists and genealogical societies, then the genealogists would be more likely to support the archive both with politically and financially. In return, the archive can provide genealogists with better-preserved and cataloged material. This article can be helpful to include in the literature review since it points out why it would be important to study the interactions between genealogists and information professionals so that both can flourish.
Mills, E. S. (2003). Genealogy in the “information age”: History’s new frontier? National Genealogical Society Quarterly, 91(December 2003), 260-277.
James: This article discusses the struggle that genealogists face to be taken seriously and not as an amateur information seeker. The article provides a history of American genealogy beginning in 1771, which could be helpful to include in the literature review to give some context as to where genealogy came from and how it has developed over the years. There is also mention of the attitudes that archivists and librarians have had toward genealogists and how this has started to soften recently. Since this article stresses that genealogy should be rigorous, the question I had while reading was do all genealogists agree or is it a more casual experience? Phelps, C.L. (2003). Using the Internet for Genealogical Research. Lousiana Libraries, 65(3), 9-12. Themes: Information-Seeking (verification difficulties), Amateur Genealogists, Terminology
Susan: In this article, academic librarian Connie L. Phelps states that genealogical research, once thought of as the domain of public libraries because of their abundance of print holdings, may be pursued more and more in academic libraries because of the many resources available on the Internet. She cautions that the Internet is just one of many sources for genealogical research and also that inaccurate information (though these can occur in print materials also) can be read and copied so easily from the Internet. She defines two kinds of records: compiled records (copies of research already done, for example, family history or genealogy) and original records (records formed at or around the time of an event, a birth, death, marriage, census-taking, etc.). She then goes on to review several useful genealogy websites. Cyndi’s List offers an indexed and cross-referenced list of more than 174,000 genealogical websites, and is an ideal website to direct beginning genealogists. AncestryPlus allows searchers to enter a name in a search box with which the website will search many public records (birth, marriage, death, census, etc.) It also allows genealogists to post their family genealogical findings to aid other genealogists. FamilySearch, by the Church of Latter Day Saints makes available many records the organization has collected. The website includes several files including ones with records genealogists donated and ones church members extracted from public records. Where possible, source information is given such as the donor’s name and address or a microfilm number. The International Genealogical Index contains death records for a few hundred million people around the world. The records also include birth or marriage information. RootsWeb allows genealogists to post their family trees and provides space for more than 26,000 email lists. This resource aims to bring together genealogists in order to pursue genealogical research. USGen Web is staffed by volunteers and provides information on county records. Each county has a separate site, and the amount of information varies. All of these websites contain sections on how to begin or continue genealogical research. RICHARDS, J. (2006). AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE INFORMATION NEEDS OF FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCHERS. (need to find APA citation for dissertation) Link to article Abstract:This dissertation is concerned with the information needs of family historians, who conduct their research as a leisure activity. Family history research encompasses both genealogy in its purest form and looking at other socio-political aspects of ancestors’ lives. The investigation into family historians’ information needs looks at both how they describe the information they require and what sources of information they use. More specifically, it presents: the motivations of family historians and the purpose of their research; the approaches that family historians take and the barriers they come across as they pursue their research; and the characteristics of the information that they require, or their information preferences. The analysis includes looking at the information-seeking behaviour of family historians.Genevieve: This dissertation presented some interesting information regarding the information seeking behavior and information needs of family historians. The article intitially covers Library services and tutorials available for family historians (to explain library's sources) within the area of England she's researching in. Due to what she claims as a of lack of literature on information needs, the lit review was split into three sections: Library services for family historians, publications for family historians and information needs analysis. It mentions that the value of web-based genealogical sources is debated among librarians in literature. The paper digs into terminology a bit and also points out how genealogically focused magazines help address issues family historians might come across in their research. The paper also discusses behavioral models, cognative & affective searching, etc. The study itself involved a survey and interviews, but they were specific to library users, so she loses the family historians who don't necessarily use the library as a source regularly. The survey and interviews covered motivation, approaches to information seeking, characteristics of info sought, awareness of available information, knowledge of internet sources. The paper might be useful to look over as a sample study, and does make some interesting points along the way.Sinco, P. & Peters, S. (1983). A survey of genealogists at the newberry library. Library Trends,32(1), 97-109. Link to article
Genevieve: This article addresses a survey that was distributed to the genealogist patrons of the Newberry Library in order to analyze the profile of their users. There were 250 usable surveys collected, which requested demographic information, genealogical interests, and view of library services. This was the first survey of its kind, as far as the author could find in existing literature at the time. The survey ultimately reaffirmed some library initiatives, and allowed them to learn more about their patron base and their needs. While dated, the information is seemingly valuable as to who patrons at a library with a large genealogy collection might be, and what they are looking for in library services.Skinner, J. (2010). Does greater specialization imply greater satisfaction? amateur genealogists and resource use at the state historical society of iowa libraries. Libri,60(1), 27-37. Abstract: This study examines amateur genealogists' satisfaction with a variety of available resources, ranging from specialized library services to search engines. Surveys were placed in both State Historical Society of Iowa libraries and sent to reading room librarians to uncover what resources users most value and why. Questions were also posed to uncover unmet information needs and determine user suggestions for improvement across resources. Findings indicate that preferences were not only limited to the institution or website accessed, but the type of information and its format, which may help guide library collection development policies to better address user needs. Becky: This article used surveys of amateur genealogists/family historians at the State Historical Society of Iowa libraries, as well as librarians who help them, to study what resources these users consult and how satisfied they are with them. The study investigated the use of specialized resources as well as more generally available web sources. Results discussed include that many of the users were knowledgeable about genealogy resources, and they value librarian assistance as well as access to original documents and digital information. Users were overall satisfied with the resources available, but suggested increased digitization for ease of access to documents. The fact that both users and librarians were surveyed is one of the most important elements of this article; however the sample size was not very large. Sleeter, C.(2008) Critical Family History, Identity, and Historical Memory. Educational Studies (American Educational Studies Association), 43(2), 114-124. Abstract: The writer discusses critical family history, identity, and historical memory. She describes a process that she employed to research family history and in doing so discusses critical life history, European-American identities, and the claiming of historical memory. She then discusses implications for social foundations courses offered to teacher education students.
Stahr, B. (2003). Preparing to Work with Genealogists: Educational and Service Opportunities. Louisiana Libraries, 65(3), 5-8 Becky: The audience for this article is librarians who want to learn more about serving genealogists. Stahr begins with a focus on the diversity of genealogists and the importance of treating them as individuals and providing information and instruction appropriate for their experience level. However, the rest of the article focuses on genealogical resources that librarians should know about, without discussing the information behavior of genealogists. The resources discussed are comprehensive, including national genealogical organizations that give workshops and courses, genealogical reference manuals and guidelines, periodical, list serves, etc., but it would have helped if Stahr brought the user group back into the discussion. Yakel, E. (2004). Seeking information, seeking connections, seeking meaning: Genealogists and family historians. Information Research,10(1), 10-11. Link to article Abstract: Genealogy and family history are examples of everyday life information seeking and provide a unique example of intensive and extensive use of libraries and archives over time. In spite of the ongoing nature of this activity, genealogists and family historians have rarely been the subject of study in the information seeking literature and therefore the nature of their information problems have not been explored. This article discusses findings from a qualitative study based on twenty-nine in-depth, semi-structured interviews with genealogists and family historians and observations of their personal information management practices. Results indicated that the search for factual information often led to one for orienting information. Finding ancestors in the past was also a means of finding one's own identity in the present. Family history is also an activity without a clear end goal; after the ancestry chart is filled in the search continues for more information about the lives of one's forebears. Thus, family history should be viewed as an ongoing process of seeking meaning. The ultimate need is not a fact or date, but to create a larger narrative, connect with others in the past and in the present, and to find coherence in one's own life.
Genevieve: This article focuses on genealogists (who study ancestry and descent) and family historians (who seek a narrative of events in their ancestors' lives), but puts more emphasis on the family historian. It is concerned with their information seeking, the role of social/family connections and the meaning of memory in their work. A genealogical search is generally triggered by some event and initiates as just facts, but then branches out to more expanded information seeking. Through interviews the author found that for family historians, the primary source of information tends to be other family historians/genealogists. Genealogical societies provide a stable network of information and learning, as opposed to libraries and archives which generally only provide documents that assist with basic genealogical information. The author states that for family historians, genealogy helps to provide meaning and works towards a mastery of life.
Yakel, E., & Torres, D. A. (2007). Genealogists as a “community of records". The American Archivist, 70(Spring/Summer), 93-113.
James: Yakel and Torres conducted a study of 29 amateur genealogists using observations and interviews to determine their motivations, how they initiate research, and their methods for analyzing and organizing data. The study found that most of the genealogists interviewed felt that their community was a great source of information, perhaps more so than libraries and archives. In terms of research methods, the genealogists often begin with a narrow question (example, when did this person die?) and then broaden their search (how did this person die? what was his/her life like?), which seems very different from what we have been discussing in class about research. This article provides a great model for a study of genealogists and includes their interview questions in the appendix.
Genealogists & Family Historians
Genevieve Szablya, Becky Hahn, Susan Hoover, Andrea Mullen, James Harnett, Sara RichardsonHere is a shared RefWorks folder:
http://www.refworks.com/refshare?site=031191120190400000/RWWEB1041299219/Genealogy
Working Annotations
Phelps, C. (2003). Genealogy: A theme issue. Louisiana Libraries, 65(3), 3-19.
This is a themed issue of Louisiana Libraries - there are 4 articles about genealogy. Help yourselves! Here's the issue:
From the above issue:
Stahr, B. (2003). Preparing to Work with Genealogists: Educational and Service Opportunities. Louisiana Libraries, 65(3), 5-8 (Becky annotated; in completed annotations section)
Phelps, C.L. (2003). Using the Internet for Genealogical Research. Lousiana Libraries, 65(3), 9-12. (Susan annotated; in completed annotations section)
Sleeter, C.(2008) Critical Family History, Identity, and Historical Memory. Educational Studies (American Educational Studies Association), 43(2), 114-124.
Abstract:The writer discusses critical family history, identity, and historical memory. She describes a process that she employed to
research
family history and in doing so discusses critical life history, European-American identities, and the claiming of historical memory. She then discusses implications for social foundations courses offered to teacher education students.
Lambert, R. D. (1996). The family historian and temporal orientations towards the ancestral past. Time and Society, 5(2), 115-143.
Abstract: In a society preoccupied with the future, genealogists or family historians devote a great deal of effort to constructing family ancestry on paper and in the mind, and situating the ancestral family in its historic time and place. This study explores the temporal orientations, and the content of these orientations, which genealogists bring to this activity. Findings are reported from a 1994 mail survey of 1348 members of a Canadian genealogical society. In addition, this paper examines the relationship between historical time and autobiographical time, and the impact of the family historian role on personal identity and family culture.
Fulton, C. (2005). Finding pleasure in information seeking: Leisure and amateur genealogists exploring their irish ancestry. Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 42(1)
Abstract: Genealogy may be characterized as serious leisure, that is an amateur or voluntary activity in which the hobby forms a central life interest, with participants actively acquiring and expressing special skills, knowledge and experience (Stebbins, 1996; 1997). Information skills development and information exchange are key features of genealogy. Amateur genealogists are very often older adults who have time to devote themselves to learning information and technical skills needed to navigate the complex maze of resources that support this activity.
This paper explores the information seeking behaviour of amateur genealogists in their leisure. Amateur genealogists from around the world participated in telephone interviews about their hunt for their Irish ancestors. Data were analyzed to identify patterns of communication and links between and among amateur genealogists, groups, and resources. Findings reveal that amateur genealogists are a unique group of information seekers, who devote their spare time to information seeking and sharing among like-minded researchers. Findings suggest that leisure time is an important information seeking context, in which people relate information seeking with pleasure, as opposed to a work-related or routine life information need.
Webster, J. (2005). Genealogy: An information need we can't meet? Library & Information Update, 4(4), 42-43. Retrieved from http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/hww/jumpstart.jhtml?recid=0bc05f7a67b1790ecb71cc20ac6013ed1bf337919516c2eb0e655c1a90a29c3d150ca21e55857f4a&fmt=C
Null, D.G. (1985) Genealogy and Family History in the Academic Library. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 11(1), 29-34.
(if anyone wants to see this I can email it to you - Becky)
Jacobson, P.R. (1981) "The World Turned Upside Down": Reference Priorities and the State Archives. The American Archivist, 44(4), 341-345.
(if anyone wants to see this I can email it to you - Becky)
Can't find but might be interesting:
Ann D. Gordon, Using the Nation’s Documentary Heritage: The Report of the Historical Documents Study (Washington, D.C.: National Historical Publications and Records Commission, 1992).
Completed Annotations
Barth, C.D. (1997). “Archivists, Genealogists, Access, and Automation: Past and Present Trends in Archival Access Technologies and Their Implications for the Future of Genealogical Research in Archives.” http://web.archive.org/web/20040309081513/http://www.arcticwind.com/cdb/writings/archives1.shtml (Genevieve)
Genevieve: Shockingly, this article that can only be found on the internet web archive is out of date. It does analyze the use of automation by genealogists and archivists, specifically talking about hardware, software and online, and also touches on attitudes of genealogists towards the archive (and archivists towards genealogists). There were 50 genealogist respondents to the survey (who were given the survey at a genealogy conference in the midwest) and 12 archivist respondents (who were given the survey through a regional archival professional organization). While the article had moments of interest, it probably isn't too relevant to what we are looking at. But, it did have a sample survey in the appendix: http://web.archive.org/web/20030823050136/www.arcticwind.com/cdb/writings/archives2.shtml.
Bishop, R. (2005).“The Essential Force of the Clan”: Developing a Collecting-Inspired Ideology of Genealogy through Textual Analysis. Journal of Popular Culture, 38(6), 990-1010.
Abstract: A study was conducted to investigate the popularity of genealogical research and to explore the cultural meaning of genealogy. Data were obtained from a textual analysis of 42 newspaper and magazine articles and 4 broadcast news transcripts on genealogy from 2001–2002. Findings indicated that, at its most fundamental level, genealogical research is self-exploration, an attempt to redefine oneself. This assertion supported by the work of reporters.
Andrea: This article tries to explain the popularity and culture of genealogy. The advent of genealogical research increased as the United States became more patriotic and served as a means for Americans to take pride in their family history. The stories of one’s family history is often done in a theatrical, hyperbolic fashion as to inspire, and ultimately let the individual start to “become” whoever they are going to be. The internet has had a significant role in genealogy and has eased the process considerably. This paper also describes the passion and, often times, obsession that genealogists feel for their research.
Abstract: Until the 1990s, archivists gave very little attention to studying their user population. None of the user studies that have been conducted in the last decade have focused solely on genealogists, one of the most frequent users of archives. This paper gives the results of a study involving in-depth interviews with ten genealogists. The findings provide information on the stages of genealogical research, how genealogists search for information, the access tools they use, the knowledge required, and the barriers they face. The findings of this study can be used to improve the design of archival information systems that will facilitate access for this important group of users.
Genevieve: This article focuses on the search process and tools used by professional genealogists in their search for people. It specifies the importance of names, geographic location and dates in the genealogist's search, as well as historical context. In discussing the tools that genealogists use, it is clear that they are their own information specialists. They utilize online resources, as well as sources often found in archives. Due to the configuration of most archives (in that they are organized for historians/archivists, not genealogists or people-seekers), genealogists tend to have their own systems for record retrievals, and often use each other as information sources. While the study's interview with 10 genealogists tends to limit the ability to generalize genealogists, it does seem as though there is an entirely different search process than the typical researcher, one that is more of a learned behavior. This article seems like it will be quite useful for this study, and it seemed to have some potentially useful references listed in it, as well.
Joslam, B. M., & Frazier, R. (2008). Who am I? Where did I come from? Where do I go to find out? Genealogy, the Internet, and tourism. Tourismos: An International Multidisciplinary Journal of Tourism, 3(2), 35-56.
James: This study of genealogists has more of a tourist slant, surveying genealogists to see how often they travel during their information gathering. The study claims that due to increased Internet use, genealogists are more able to make travel arrangements to sites of ancestral significance or to other genealogical collections. Also of interest is a top ten list of the most popular websites as reported by the surveyed genealogists. In comparison to Yakel and Torres’s study, Joslam and Frazier used an online survey to gather their data, so we can discuss the benefits and challenges associated with both of these methods in our literature review.
Latham, B.M. (2003). The Genealogist and the Library: An Interesting Partnership. The Alabama Librarian, 53(1), 12-16. Themes: Librarian-Genealogist Relations, Amateur Genealogists, History, Terminology
Abstract: Genealogy is one of the most popular and fastest growing hobbies among Americans today. Experts give several reasons for this surge of interest in family history, among them Alex Haley’s Roots and the easy access to genealogical information provided by the Internet. Ethnic groups especially have begun to delve into their heritage. In an attempt to better serve their patrons’ needs, libraries have developed genealogical collections that range from small to extensive. Librarians are also beginning to adopt the Internet as an addition to the genealogical materials they have in print. The Internet provides a wealth of genealogical information, from passenger lists of the immigrants who came through Ellis Island to millions of vital records compiled by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. As the interest in genealogy continues to grow, librarians will continue to develop and add to their genealogy collections in order to meet the demands of patrons seeking to discover their family history.
Susan: In this article, the author describes the notoriety amateur genealogists have gained with librarians for being knowledgeable and engaging yet maddeningly exasperating. Just as they can demand a librarian’s attention as they describe at length family connections, they can also be formidable and vocal opponents when their collections are weeded. This article contains a thumbnail sketch of the history of genealogy - in this country collections started in response to centennial patriotic fervor in 1876. More recently, a survey published in 2000 stated that approximately 60 percent of Americans were currently engaged in researching their family heritage and history (World Almanac & Book of Facts, 2001, Richard Hantula). She praises an annotated bibliography by Judith P. Reid (“Branching Out into Genealogy,” Library Journal, 1992, 51-55) with suggested book sources for building a genealogical collection. She also states that the Assoc. of Professional Genealogists requires only dues for membership, but names an organization that requires accreditation, the Accredited Genealogists, and writes that there is a “Board Certification for Genealogists.” Because genealogists need to travel to access some sources of information, they need the hours of operation for genealogy collections, which may differ from those of the housing library. I think it would follow from the time constraints of their travel that libraries need to help them make the best use of their time.
McKay, A. C. (2002). Genealogists and records: Preservation, advocacy, and politics. Archival Issues, 27(1), 23-33. Retrieved from Library Literature.
James: This article illustrates the nearly symbiotic relationship between archivists and genealogists. The author argues that this is a relationship that should be cultivated in order for both parties to benefit. If archivists forge bonds with genealogists and genealogical societies, then the genealogists would be more likely to support the archive both with politically and financially. In return, the archive can provide genealogists with better-preserved and cataloged material. This article can be helpful to include in the literature review since it points out why it would be important to study the interactions between genealogists and information professionals so that both can flourish.
Mills, E. S. (2003). Genealogy in the “information age”: History’s new frontier? National Genealogical Society Quarterly, 91(December 2003), 260-277.
James: This article discusses the struggle that genealogists face to be taken seriously and not as an amateur information seeker. The article provides a history of American genealogy beginning in 1771, which could be helpful to include in the literature review to give some context as to where genealogy came from and how it has developed over the years. There is also mention of the attitudes that archivists and librarians have had toward genealogists and how this has started to soften recently. Since this article stresses that genealogy should be rigorous, the question I had while reading was do all genealogists agree or is it a more casual experience?
Phelps, C.L. (2003). Using the Internet for Genealogical Research. Lousiana Libraries, 65(3), 9-12. Themes: Information-Seeking (verification difficulties), Amateur Genealogists, Terminology
RICHARDS, J. (2006). AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE INFORMATION NEEDS OF FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCHERS. (need to find APA citation for dissertation) Link to article
Abstract:This dissertation is concerned with the information needs of family historians, who conduct their research as a leisure activity. Family history research encompasses both genealogy in its purest form and looking at other socio-political aspects of ancestors’ lives. The investigation into family historians’ information needs looks at both how they describe the information they require and what sources of information they use. More specifically, it presents: the motivations of family historians and the purpose of their research; the approaches that family historians take and the barriers they come across as they pursue their research; and the characteristics of the information that they require, or their information preferences. The analysis includes looking at the information-seeking behaviour of family historians.Genevieve: This dissertation presented some interesting information regarding the information seeking behavior and information needs of family historians. The article intitially covers Library services and tutorials available for family historians (to explain library's sources) within the area of England she's researching in. Due to what she claims as a of lack of literature on information needs, the lit review was split into three sections: Library services for family historians, publications for family historians and information needs analysis. It mentions that the value of web-based genealogical sources is debated among librarians in literature. The paper digs into terminology a bit and also points out how genealogically focused magazines help address issues family historians might come across in their research. The paper also discusses behavioral models, cognative & affective searching, etc. The study itself involved a survey and interviews, but they were specific to library users, so she loses the family historians who don't necessarily use the library as a source regularly. The survey and interviews covered motivation, approaches to information seeking, characteristics of info sought, awareness of available information, knowledge of internet sources. The paper might be useful to look over as a sample study, and does make some interesting points along the way.Sinco, P. & Peters, S. (1983). A survey of genealogists at the newberry library. Library Trends, 32(1), 97-109. Link to article
Genevieve: This article addresses a survey that was distributed to the genealogist patrons of the Newberry Library in order to analyze the profile of their users. There were 250 usable surveys collected, which requested demographic information, genealogical interests, and view of library services. This was the first survey of its kind, as far as the author could find in existing literature at the time. The survey ultimately reaffirmed some library initiatives, and allowed them to learn more about their patron base and their needs. While dated, the information is seemingly valuable as to who patrons at a library with a large genealogy collection might be, and what they are looking for in library services.Skinner, J. (2010). Does greater specialization imply greater satisfaction? amateur genealogists and resource use at the state historical society of iowa libraries. Libri, 60(1), 27-37.
Abstract: This study examines amateur genealogists' satisfaction with a variety of available resources, ranging from specialized library services to search engines. Surveys were placed in both State Historical Society of Iowa libraries and sent to reading room librarians to uncover what resources users most value and why. Questions were also posed to uncover unmet information needs and determine user suggestions for improvement across resources. Findings indicate that preferences were not only limited to the institution or website accessed, but the type of information and its format, which may help guide library collection development policies to better address user needs.
Becky: This article used surveys of amateur genealogists/family historians at the State Historical Society of Iowa libraries, as well as librarians who help them, to study what resources these users consult and how satisfied they are with them. The study investigated the use of specialized resources as well as more generally available web sources. Results discussed include that many of the users were knowledgeable about genealogy resources, and they value librarian assistance as well as access to original documents and digital information. Users were overall satisfied with the resources available, but suggested increased digitization for ease of access to documents. The fact that both users and librarians were surveyed is one of the most important elements of this article; however the sample size was not very large.
Sleeter, C.(2008) Critical Family History, Identity, and Historical Memory. Educational Studies (American Educational Studies Association), 43(2), 114-124.
Abstract: The writer discusses critical family history, identity, and historical memory. She describes a process that she employed to research family history and in doing so discusses critical life history, European-American identities, and the claiming of historical memory. She then discusses implications for social foundations courses offered to teacher education students.
Stahr, B. (2003). Preparing to Work with Genealogists: Educational and Service Opportunities. Louisiana Libraries, 65(3), 5-8
Becky: The audience for this article is librarians who want to learn more about serving genealogists. Stahr begins with a focus on the diversity of genealogists and the importance of treating them as individuals and providing information and instruction appropriate for their experience level. However, the rest of the article focuses on genealogical resources that librarians should know about, without discussing the information behavior of genealogists. The resources discussed are comprehensive, including national genealogical organizations that give workshops and courses, genealogical reference manuals and guidelines, periodical, list serves, etc., but it would have helped if Stahr brought the user group back into the discussion.
Yakel, E. (2004). Seeking information, seeking connections, seeking meaning: Genealogists and family historians. Information Research, 10(1), 10-11. Link to article
Abstract: Genealogy and family history are examples of everyday life information seeking and provide a unique example of intensive and extensive use of libraries and archives over time. In spite of the ongoing nature of this activity, genealogists and family historians have rarely been the subject of study in the information seeking literature and therefore the nature of their information problems have not been explored. This article discusses findings from a qualitative study based on twenty-nine in-depth, semi-structured interviews with genealogists and family historians and observations of their personal information management practices. Results indicated that the search for factual information often led to one for orienting information. Finding ancestors in the past was also a means of finding one's own identity in the present. Family history is also an activity without a clear end goal; after the ancestry chart is filled in the search continues for more information about the lives of one's forebears. Thus, family history should be viewed as an ongoing process of seeking meaning. The ultimate need is not a fact or date, but to create a larger narrative, connect with others in the past and in the present, and to find coherence in one's own life.
Genevieve: This article focuses on genealogists (who study ancestry and descent) and family historians (who seek a narrative of events in their ancestors' lives), but puts more emphasis on the family historian. It is concerned with their information seeking, the role of social/family connections and the meaning of memory in their work. A genealogical search is generally triggered by some event and initiates as just facts, but then branches out to more expanded information seeking. Through interviews the author found that for family historians, the primary source of information tends to be other family historians/genealogists. Genealogical societies provide a stable network of information and learning, as opposed to libraries and archives which generally only provide documents that assist with basic genealogical information. The author states that for family historians, genealogy helps to provide meaning and works towards a mastery of life.
Yakel, E., & Torres, D. A. (2007). Genealogists as a “community of records". The American Archivist, 70(Spring/Summer), 93-113.
James: Yakel and Torres conducted a study of 29 amateur genealogists using observations and interviews to determine their motivations, how they initiate research, and their methods for analyzing and organizing data. The study found that most of the genealogists interviewed felt that their community was a great source of information, perhaps more so than libraries and archives. In terms of research methods, the genealogists often begin with a narrow question (example, when did this person die?) and then broaden their search (how did this person die? what was his/her life like?), which seems very different from what we have been discussing in class about research. This article provides a great model for a study of genealogists and includes their interview questions in the appendix.